Wart Sea Slug (species: Phyllidiella pustulosa) in Frankland Island Group, QLD (Gaia Guide)
Frankland Island Group, QLD > Animalia > Mollusca > Gastropoda > Nudibranchia > Phyllidiella pustulosa (gallery)
Phyllidiella pustulosa
Wart Sea Slug


©Jan Messersmith: Phyllidiella pustulosa

©David: Normanby, Barry the Bommie,

©Nemo's great uncle on Flickr: Phyllidiella pustulosa

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Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
Order Nudibranchia
Family Phyllidiidae
Genus Phyllidiella
Species Phyllidiella pustulosa

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Colours

                        

Distinguishing features

A solid slug, black with clusters of pink/blue/purplish tubercles, a black band near the margin and a paler band on the margin. Black rhinophores. Sole of foot uniformly grey, no darker midline.

Size

  • Up to 7 cm (Length according to Humann and Deloach (2010))

Synonyms

Similar taxa

Interesting facts

  • This animal has a reversible throat that comes out of its mouth and sucks up the insides of sponges. It eats poisonous sponges and not only is it unaffected by the poison, the Wart Sea Slug stores the poison inside of its skin so that it becomes poisonous. What would happen if it ate chocolate? Guardian: Lexie Williamson

Distribution


©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution: Phyllidiella pustulosa

Local abundance

  • Lizard Island: Common

Web resources

References

  • Cortesi, F. and K.L. Cheney (2010). Conspicuousness is correlated with toxicity in marine opisthobranchs, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 23: 1509-1518. LIRS catalog number 1360.
  • Waegele, H., I. Burghardt, N. Anthes, J. Evertsen, A. Klussman-Kolb and G. Brodie (2006). Species diversity of opisthobranch molluscs on Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, In: Contemporary studies into the systematics and evolution of opisthobranch molluscs, (Eds. G. Brodie, S. Fahey and F.E. Wells), Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 69: 33-59. LIRS catalog number 1036.